There is a demand for subscriber lines of plain old telephone services (POTS) to carry high-speed digital signals. Current line testing methods to predict the ability of existing subscriber lines to support high-speed digital transmissions, such as time domain reflectometer (TDR) and frequency domain measurements are usually being carried without automation. The twisted pair wire connected to a telephone line card of the switch is manually disconnected from the line card. The line testing device, such as, time domain reflectometer (TDR) is then connected to the open end of the line and accordingly the measurement is performed as if the telephone line is an unused spare line. The TDR measurements are performed on unused or disconnected wire pairs as to avoid echo pulses or interference from active devices, such as the telephone line cards. After completion of the measurement, the twisted pair wire is manually reconnected to the line card.
An existing solution, which enables some automation of the line testing process involves the installation of a disconnection automated unit, such as a matrix, within the existing infrastructure of the telephone operating company (TELCO). Such a solution is very expensive and not always practical to implement within an operating network.
Accordingly, existing methods are expensive, time and labor consuming, sensitive to human errors and involve disturbance to the POTS service. Therefore, there is a need for a method and a system that overcomes these disadvantages.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.